Iran’s defense minister says the American sanctions have failed to slow down the nation’s progress, and that the country will manage to prevail over the conditions created by the bans at a fast pace.

“Today, we rely on indigenous capabilities,” Brigadier-General Amir Hatami said on Tuesday, noting that the country's current conditions are better compared to the situation before the re-imposition of the sanctions, Press TV reported.

“We will overcome the conditions brought about by the sanctions faster and more easily,” he added.

The US abandoned a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal with Iran in May. Ever since, it has reinstated all the sanctions it had removed under the deal, officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“The enemy is trying to prevent us from using our resources, but, as we can see, great feats are being accomplished in the country every day,” the defense chief noted.

The United States has only grown more isolated in the international community after it failed to align world countries with itself in its antagonism towards the Islamic Republic, Hatami said.

“We witnessed at the United Nations that the US president was ridiculed. He, who was seeking to condemn Iran at the General Assembly, was himself faced with objection,” Hatami said.

The defense chief was referring to Donald Trump’s UN General Assembly Speech in September, which began with the US president bragging about his achievements since entering the White House in January 2017.

Military vehicle unveiled

Meanwhile, in a ceremony in Tehran on Tuesday, Hatami unveiled a military truck dubbed Toofan (storm) and inaugurated its assembly line.

The armored, mine resistant and ambush protected vehicle has been developed by local experts at the Defense Ministry, and has been designed to carry out logistical and combat missions in the theater, Tasnim New Agency reported.

Toofan will be delivered to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force.

Speaking about features of the military truck, General Hatami said that the tactical personnel carrier has been manufactured based on the needs of the Iranian forces for a faster vehicle capable of climbing inclines and traverses with a steep slope.

According to the minister, Toofan is a four-wheel drive truck with protection against land mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The mine resistant ambush protected vehicle can carry up to 10 personnel, the general said, adding that run-flat tires have enabled Toofan to drive out of the kill zone with flat tires within a range of 50 kilometers.

Toofan can be furnished with semi-heavy weapons thanks to tailgate gun shields and turrets, the minister said, adding that it provides ballistic protection for the cabin crew and can drive at speeds of up to 100 km/h.

The minister added that while such a vehicle costs around US $500,000 in the international market, the Iranian experts have manufactured Toofan at a much lower price.